Olivia Cheng is a first-time director who was honoured in 2019 by Film Independent and SAGindie as a New Wave Actor to watch. The dynamic actress stars in "Warrior", a 10-episode series inspired by the writings of Bruce Lee and currently on HBO MAX. The series is from FAST & FURIOUS’ Justin Lin and HBO Cinemax’s "Banshee" co-creator Jonathan Tropper.

Olivia was born in Edmonton, Alberta to Cantonese-speaking immigrant parents, who helped co-found the Edmonton Mandarin Bilingual program within the city’s public school system. She credits this for her ability to speak Mandarin and instilling a reverence for her culture.

Olivia enrolled in her first acting class at age six, and at age 19 she booked her first local commercial. After high school, Olivia attended the University of Alberta where she earned a scholarship and early admittance to its commerce program. Unhappy in university, she enrolled at NAIT’s Radio and Television Arts program the following year, which would lead her to a successful media career. After finishing school, she became a videographer for Global TV Lethbridge, before moving back to Edmonton to work as a broadcast and print journalist.

At the height of her journalism career, AMC was launching its original content division and came to Alberta with a Walter Hill-helmed mini- series, executive produced by Robert Duvall. They were looking for five Chinese actresses, but were willing to look at non-professionals as well. Duvall saw Olivia’s audition and asked to bring her back. She was then cast in "Broken Trail", which was nominated for 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and would go on to win four, including the Emmy for Outstanding Mini-Series. "Broken Trail" gave Olivia the push she needed; she moved to Vancouver and worked as a stringer correspondent for ET Canada, while she pursued her acting career full time.

In 2014 Olivia booked a breakout, leading role in the Netflix series, "Marco Polo". The drama featured warfare, manipulation, sexual intrigue, as well as a global cast. "Marco Polo" set a precedent for production, as one of the most expensive television series ever produced.

Olivia is currently shooting a new project in Toronto, and is actively expanding as a producer and casting consultant in the independent film scene. She has been featured in publications like ELLE magazine for her work as a diversity and racial justice activist. Up next, she can be seen in a lead role in the feature film, "Sheltering Season".